


Fiend

by gealach



Category: Dark Wolverine (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Wolverine (Comics), Wolverines (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-31
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-03-09 20:52:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3264017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gealach/pseuds/gealach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Laura is sure this will help Daken heal, in time.</p>
<p>Set before <i>Wolverines</i> 4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fiend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haku23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haku23/gifts).



> Haku23 prompted me "Daken with a cute animal" and I run wild with it ^_^
> 
> [slightly AU as it was written before _Wolverines_ 4 came out]

 

A kitten.

There was a _kitten_ in his lap.

It was a minuscule thing, a black wide-eyed furry ball, and it had just been placed delicately in his lap by Laura.

“That’s a _kitten_.”

“Yes.”

It was looking around now, sniffing and thrusting belligerently its little paws on the covers. The smells of the med bay must be confusing and strange.

“Do I even want to know?”

“I found her in Barcelona.”

_That_ interested him more. He looked up at Laura – and he had to move his head further to the left. He hadn’t calculated the distance right.

He was still getting used to this.

He would never get used to this.

Laura noticed she had been standing in his blind spot and moved to his right – she sat on the chair near the bed.

“Did you find the thief?”

“Fantomelle.” Laura crossed her arms. “Yes. You’ll see her when you get up,” she said almost cheerfully.

He wasn’t going to get up. He didn’t _want_ to get up. He was of no use here. Why were they keeping him here, why hadn’t they dumped him to the nearest hospital?

_You’re the only family…_ sort-of _family… I have left._ Laura’s words echoed in his mind. Obligation. It was just some sense of obligation. _I’m here if you need me._ Laura was a fool. Why were the others indulging her so?

“And where does the cat come into the equation?”

“She was drowning in a puddle.”

Oh, amazing. How fittingly ironic. Laura probably didn’t _know_ why Daken winced at her words – or she wouldn’t even have said them.

“You found the time to save a drowning cat?”

“I couldn’t let her in the rain.”

As if on cue, the kitten sneezed. Laura looked alarmed. “I tried to keep her warm, but –”

“Laura. Why is the cat _in my lap?_ ”

She looked away. “It has been proven that taking care of a small animal can be beneficial to –”

“I don’t need _pet therapy_.” She was deranged. She was clearly under some deep delusion.

The kitten sneezed again and Laura got up. “She needs to stay warm. I’ll be right back.”

“Laura, don’t you _dare_ –” she was gone already, leaving him with the accursed beast. “There are _blankets_ here!” he called after her, but she didn’t come back. A rather _obvious_ ploy to force him to keep the beast, at least until she came back.

He stared down at it.

It sneezed. Twice. It looked up at him with humid eyes; it sneezed again.

_Oh, for fuck’s sake._ Daken scooped it up with his hand – it was so small it fit perfectly in his palm. He moved the other –

Right. Only one arm. This was bound to get difficult – But no one could say he lacked creativity.

He ended up creating a messy entanglement of sheets pooled between his legs, and he dropped the kitten into the sort of fort that it created. As he draped the fabric around the kitten, it tried to frantically claw Daken’s hand. “I’m not trying to _kill_ you, you idiot.” Sneezing and pawing, it obviously didn’t – couldn’t – heed Daken’s words. “Those aren’t even claws, you’re too little. Calm down.” He overwhelmed it with soothing pheromones and it blinked blearily, its movements now letargic, and it finally allowed Daken to tuck it in. “Here. Was it so difficult?”

He was _talking to a damn kitten_. Laura was going to pay for this. “Fiend.” The kitten sneezed. “Yes, exactly.” He pointed a finger at it. “Don’t look at me like that.” The poor unfortunate soul tried to bite his finger. “None of that, you ingrate.” It meowed, an acute, annoyed, _offended_ sound. “This is some ploy, isn’t it? You’re working with Laura. Fiend.”

“You’re talking to her!” Laura’s voice had a cheerful undertone to it. “That’s good.”

He looked up from his lap and saw her standing in the doorway with a tiny smile tugging at the left corner of her mouth. He ignored it. “This cat’s a menace. Take it back.”

“I can’t just throw it out, Daken,” she said, her tone perfectly reasonable, “That would be terrible.”

“Laura, I’m _not_ keeping –”

He felt fur on his fingertips; he looked down and saw it rubbing gently its head against his hand. It was –

Dear God, it was _purring_.

“It seems she likes you,” Laura said softly.

“Of _course_ she likes me,” he scoffed, “I’m keeping her warm.” His fingers moved – of their own accord, he certainly hadn’t willed them to – massaging the fiend’s head. The purring intensified. Her eyes were closed in contentedness. “Fiend,” he scoffed, drumming his fingers down her head to her back. She kept purring for a long time.

When he looked up, Laura was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> [Haku23](http://archiveofourown.org/users/haku23) also drew this utterly adorable thing as companion piece


End file.
